Designs in 3D

Jay Koehler makes and sells some of his 3D prints, like this part for a Craftsman powder coat gun.

NICK TOMECEK | Daily News

By DUSTY RICKETTS / Daily News

Published: Saturday, November 23, 2013 at 03:24 PM.

CRESTVIEW — There’s a strange sound in the background at Jay Koehler’s home.

About a year and a half ago, Koehler purchased his first kit to build a 3D printer, which is used to melt plastic filament into a three-dimensional design. Koehler since has formed his own company, Kbot 3D, where he sells his 3D printers and custom-made pieces for customers.

“It was going to be a $700 hobby about $10,000 ago,” Koehler said. “It got out of hand.

“You can really do some amazing things with this, and not just toys,” he added. “Things you can’t buy, things that don’t exist yet. … I never know who’s going to call.”

Koehler said he got into the 3D printing business by accident. While researching 3D cameras, Koehler came across 3D printers, and he and his wife became interested in the business possibilities.

Although retail printers are available for about $2,500, Koehler purchased a kit to build his own. It took about four months to put it together because parts kept arriving from different companies.

While he saw great potential in the printers as a business opportunity, his first machine was too slow, too small and had other problems. Using what he learned from the kit, Koehler designed and built a second 3D printer that is larger, faster and more accurate.

“It is twice as fast, easily twice as accurate and it’s been the backbone of our business we’ve got going,” Koehler said.

Koehler is working on a third design that will be more accurate, especially when creating circles.

Initially, Kbot 3D made toys and statues with its printers, but Koehler now is selling more advanced designs. Among his biggest sellers are replacement cups for Craftsman powder coat guns that are no longer manufactured. Koehler has reworked the design of the cup to make it hold more than six times the amount of powder as the original.

He also has other ideas for the printers. Koehler can scan in a person using an Xbox Kinect camera to create a 3D model of that person. That 3D model can then be used to make items such as personalized wedding cake toppers or action figures.

“You don’t have to have an engineering degree for some of this stuff,” Koehler said. “You’ve just got to be creative and some of it, you just have to try it and if you don’t like it, try again. I have a whole bunch of designs that are just plain fails. They didn’t work. But out of 20 bad ones, I’ve got one really good one.

“We think that if we can get enough printers out there and people interested in it, then manufacturing is going to change,” he added.

TO LEARN MORE: For more information, go to www.kbot3d.com.

Contact Daily News Business Editor Dusty Ricketts at 850-315-4448 or dricketts@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @DustyRnwfdn.

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CRESTVIEW — There’s a strange sound in the background at Jay Koehler’s home.

About a year and a half ago, Koehler purchased his first kit to build a 3D printer, which is used to melt plastic filament into a three-dimensional design. Koehler since has formed his own company, Kbot 3D, where he sells his 3D printers and custom-made pieces for customers.

“It was going to be a $700 hobby about $10,000 ago,” Koehler said. “It got out of hand.

“You can really do some amazing things with this, and not just toys,” he added. “Things you can’t buy, things that don’t exist yet. … I never know who’s going to call.”

Koehler said he got into the 3D printing business by accident. While researching 3D cameras, Koehler came across 3D printers, and he and his wife became interested in the business possibilities.

Although retail printers are available for about $2,500, Koehler purchased a kit to build his own. It took about four months to put it together because parts kept arriving from different companies.

While he saw great potential in the printers as a business opportunity, his first machine was too slow, too small and had other problems. Using what he learned from the kit, Koehler designed and built a second 3D printer that is larger, faster and more accurate.

“It is twice as fast, easily twice as accurate and it’s been the backbone of our business we’ve got going,” Koehler said.

Koehler is working on a third design that will be more accurate, especially when creating circles.

Initially, Kbot 3D made toys and statues with its printers, but Koehler now is selling more advanced designs. Among his biggest sellers are replacement cups for Craftsman powder coat guns that are no longer manufactured. Koehler has reworked the design of the cup to make it hold more than six times the amount of powder as the original.

He also has other ideas for the printers. Koehler can scan in a person using an Xbox Kinect camera to create a 3D model of that person. That 3D model can then be used to make items such as personalized wedding cake toppers or action figures.

“You don’t have to have an engineering degree for some of this stuff,” Koehler said. “You’ve just got to be creative and some of it, you just have to try it and if you don’t like it, try again. I have a whole bunch of designs that are just plain fails. They didn’t work. But out of 20 bad ones, I’ve got one really good one.

“We think that if we can get enough printers out there and people interested in it, then manufacturing is going to change,” he added.

TO LEARN MORE: For more information, go to www.kbot3d.com.

Contact Daily News Business Editor Dusty Ricketts at 850-315-4448 or dricketts@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @DustyRnwfdn.